It Looks Like North Korea Is Ready for Another Nuclear Test

North Korea appears to have completed preparations for a new nuclear test. Satellite imagery of the Punggye-ri underground nuclear test site indicates construction appears to be completed and the country's sixth nuclear weapons test may be imminent.

Imagery published by38North shows tunneling at Punggye-ri appears to have stopped, and the flow of construction equipment and other devices also appears to have slowed. Tarp-covered equipment and military personnel in formation are visible in the images.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

North Korea has held five nuclear tests, all at Punggye-ri, the first in 2006 and the latest in September of 2016. The explosive yield of the weapons have ranged from an estimated 2-30 kilotons, but the actual yield is unknown. Estimates are based off seismic activity generated by the tests.

North Korea also claims to have developed thermonuclear weapons. Far more powerful than regular nuclear bombs, thermonuclear bombs add a fusion stage to a nuclear fission weapon resulting in a yields of 1,000 kilotons or more. Thermonuclear devices are also much more complicated than nuclear devices, and it's unclear that North Korea currently has the technical expertise to built them. Pyongyang claimed the 2016 test was thermonuclear in nature yet its explosive power fell well short of a thermonuclear device.

North Korea's nuclear tests are held underground to contain the spread of radiation, clouds of which its large, more powerful neighbors would not appreciate. Punggye-ri is just 50 miles from the Chinese border and 75 miles from Russia.

The test preparations come as the Trump administration has gotten increasingly tough on North Korea. The administration last month deployed the THAAD missile defense system to South Korea, and a carrier strike group consisting of the USS Carl Vinson and escorts was diverted from a planned visit to Australia to the Korean peninsula. In response to missile test by Pyongyang last month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated, "North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment."

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.